Harry Potter in Real Life
by Bethezda
Summary: Harry Potter never expected to find himself in the real world. In fact, he thought he thought he was in a real world. Now Stan Shunpike has sent him into our world, and Harry must find his way and overcome many obstacles.
1. The Prologue

Harry Potter in Real Life

By Bethezda

(This story takes place right after Harry's defeat of Voldemort. He has not married Ginny yet. Only three weeks have passed since Voldemort's death.)

Chapter One: The Prologue

Harry Potter never expected to land in the real world. In fact, he thought he _was_ living in the real world. He never dreamed of ending up in our world. It never crossed his mind. But, as the unexpected is known to happen, Harry is now in _our _reality. This is the story of how it happened and all of the events that followed.

Harry Potter, a famous wizard known for his recent defeat of the Dark Lord, was being followed. He had conquered Lord Voldemort just three short weeks ago, and his victory was now known everywhere in the wizarding world. The followers and death eaters of Lord Voldemort were fleeing. Harry was somewhat sure they were not the ones following him.

Harry walked in the streets of London near the Leaky Cauldron. He ducked in an alleyway to see if he could lose his pursuer, quickly turning down another alleyway and into the busy street past that. He lost himself in the crowd, hoping the person tailing him so vigilantly would not be able to find him.

Harry was just exiting the crowd when he saw the man. It was impossible. It was someone he knew, someone he never thought he would see again. There was no way he could be alive. Stanley Shunpike had fallen off his broom, hadn't he? From that height, he couldn't have survived. But then, how was he here?

Stanley, in a black trench coat and rain boots, was still coming. Harry stopped and turned around to face him. Stanley just motioned for Harry to follow him into a deserted alley. Harry did.

"Harry Potter," Stan said in a monotonous voice. "You are needed. Come with me."

Harry was speechless. He wasn't sure if he could trust Stan, and he didn't want to go anywhere with him if this was a trap. But Harry couldn't be sure. He just had to follow Stan into the darkness and begin the next chapter of his life.

Stan led Harry into Knockturn Alley, a place that was formerly for dark wizards. It still sold artifacts of the dark arts, but it was less evil down there. Harry followed Stan into a run-down shop that had a sign with words you couldn't make out because of its peeling paint.

Stan took Harry into a back room of the shop. Harry could see shrunken heads, skulls, hands of glory, and other cursed and evil items everywhere. He noticed a shadow hanging about the room and wondered what it was.

"Harry James Potter." Stan turned and looked at Harry. "You are needed," he repeated.

"Yeah, I got that," Harry said. "But how are you here, Stan? I thought you were dead."

"It will all be explained. First, you must go. They will explain to you when you get there. Time is wasting. Take this and don't panic."

"Stan, wait. I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Harry started backing away. "What's going on?"

"Here." Stan handed Harry a small black box. As soon as Harry touched it, there was a huge flash of red light, and then there was a . . .

BANG!

Harry felt a tug in the pit of his stomach just before the world went black.


	2. The Real World

Harry Potter in Real Life

By Bethezda

Chapter 2: The Real World

Harry found himself in a dark park. The moon was out, but its light did penetrate the tree branches. The night was just a little bit chilly, and a slight breeze ruffled Harry's hair. There were benches near a metal fence, and a man sat on one of the benches.

_I wonder where I am_, Harry thought. _This is a very strange place_.

The man looked up as Harry pondered this, almost as if the man could hear Harry's thoughts. He raised a hand and beckoned to Harry. Harry hesitated. He had no idea who this man was, but he decided he wanted to find out.

Harry approached the man cautiously. The man waited patiently. He wore a black cloak and his face was shielded from view by a hood.

"Harry Potter." The man spoke in a strange accent. Harry was not from this time or place, so he didn't recognize it as American.

"Yes . . ." Harry replied.

"I assume you were informed of your mission?" The man said the statement as a question.

"No." Harry was very curious and had many questions, but he got the impression short answers were wanted.

"Blast." The man paused. He threw back his hood.

What Harry saw made him stifle a gasp. The man looked exactly like Harry did. He had messy black hair, green eyes, and a lightning bolt-shaped scar. He looked almost exactly the same, the only differences being his lack of glasses and looking maybe a few years older.

"Well, Harry," the man sighed, "you were brought here as a last resort. You see, this world, the real world, is in danger. The humans . . . or as you call them, muggles . . . they have destroyed the ozone layer. It is so thin that it could deteriorate into nothing in, say, about three years."

Harry nearly laughed out loud. This man expected him to believe that this was the _real_ world. Yeah, right. "Are you joking? You're kidding, right?"

"I'm afraid not. Harry, we need you."

"But you haven't told me anything about this place! Who _are_ you? Where am I? How did I get here? How exactly am I supposed to save this . . . whatever it is? What on _earth_ . . ."

"Slow down. All will be answered in time," the man interrupted. Right now, though, you need to go. Here." The man handed Harry a book. "This book will explain your mission."

And the man was gone. He just disappeared, vanished. Harry was left standing there, flustered and confused. He sat down and began to read, wondering when he was going to wake up from this nightmare.


	3. The Book of Many Faces

Harry Potter in Real Life

By Bethezda

Chapter 3: The Book of Many Faces

Harry opened the _Book of Many Faces_. The writing inside shifted and changed, moving as if it were alive. It read like a letter to someone. He began on the first page:

_Harry Potter, you must be confused as to why you were brought here. This is the real world. Welcome to it. Your whole world is about to change, has already begun changing, and will change._

_You are nothing more than words in the pages of a book, and yet you are so much more than that. You are a work of imagination and creativity. You are a powerful wizard. And yet you come from a book. _

_You are here to save a world much larger than your own, a world the humans have taken advantage of. This world is much different from your own. For one thing, it is more advanced. For another, there is no magic._

_You must never let anyone know about your powers, Harry. Keep your magic secret at all cost, lest harm befall you. The beings here must never know of this._

_The world here is older by far than yours. Respect it, lest it turn on you. _

_Your mission involves stopping the dangers the humans are causing. They are destroying their world, and if they are to live, this must be put to an end. If this world is destroyed, yours will be as well, for your world exists only in this world._

_The first step in your journey is to use your magic. The humans do not know of the danger they are in. Their precious ozone is about to fail. You must use your powers to help stop the destruction and then reverse it. _

_I shall leave you at that for now. Good luck._

Harry took a deep breath. He still had no idea what to do. He really wished he had his friends with him. Hermione would have been a big help right about then.


	4. Is This a Joke?

**Harry Potter in Real Life**

**By Bethezda**

**Chapter Four: Is This a Joke?**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters.**

The first thing Harry did, was learn the ways of this bright new world. He struggled through many confusing weeks, figuring out the lay of the land. Of course, the _Book of Many Faces_ had given him a general sense of our ways. It had also provided him with money, directions to the nearest hotel, and some basic rules.

At the top of the list was the rule of secrecy and discretion. The _Book _stressed the importance of keeping magic a secret. It advised Harry to not draw attention to himself. Magic, the _Book_ said, would not be understood among anyone in the real world, as all of the people here were "muggles."

And so Harry began his new life here. He set off on his mission, using small magics on the road. However, our hero soon found that he still had no clue how to save this world. He was at a standstill, since he didn't even know what was wrong here.

After about his sixth week in our world, Harry encountered someone he was very happy to see. The man approached him slowly, stopping about ten paces away and gesturing for Harry to follow him. As soon as they were in a secluded area, they stopped.

"Harry, Harry," the man said. "Things are moving too slowly. You need to pick up the pace here."

"You know, I would do that if I had any clue what I was supposed to be doing!" Harry looked those eyes that looked so much like his own, that face that bore such a stunning resemblance, and refused to look away. Holding his ground, he stared the man down until his stare grew too much for the man to bear. "How do you expect me to do this on my own? You've given me nothing to go on! I don't even know your name."

"Oh, Harry, but you do know me." At this, the man shook his head. "Do you not recognize me? Harry, I'm you. Or you're me. Depends on how you look at it."

Harry just gaped. "Do you expect me to believe that? Is that supposed to be funny? Well, it's not."

"There is no joke," the older Potter said calmly. "And there is no time. The Others are getting anxious. They insist on the continuation of your task. You have spent enough time dawdling. If you do not act fast, both of our heads will be on the line."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you do not succeed, your life, mine, and everyone else's will be forfeit." The man's voice grew fainter as he continued, as if it was fading, dissipating into mist. "I shall send you someone to aid in your task. She will explain things to you. For now, be alert. Be watching."

And with that, the man was gone. It was as if he had never been there. Harry was left standing in a world of bustling people, yet feeling more alone than ever.


End file.
